Mohammad Rizwan achieves major career landmark

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan reached a significant milestone on Sunday, playing his 100th One-Day International (ODI) during the third match of the series against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The right-handed batter made the occasion memorable by scoring an unbeaten 61 from 92 balls, his 19th ODI half-century, guiding Pakistan to victory.

Rizwan, who made his ODI debut in 2015 against Bangladesh in Mirpur, became the 33rd Pakistani cricketer to reach the 100-match mark.

He joined a distinguished group that includes legends like Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Wasim Akram, as well as modern-day greats Shahid Afridi, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik.

Among them, Shahid Afridi holds the record for the most ODI appearances for Pakistan with 393 matches, followed by Inzamam-ul-Haq with 375 and Wasim Akram with 356.

Pakistan’s head coach for white-ball cricket, Mike Hesson, congratulated Rizwan in a video released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“All right, boys, it’s a special occasion when anyone plays their first game for Pakistan, but today we’ve got a player who’s playing his 100th,” Hesson said.

“He’s brought a heck of a lot of energy, desire, and skill to Pakistan, and I’m sure there’s plenty more ahead. But, Riz, congratulations, mate, 100 games today.”

Mohammad Rizwan is the fourth-highest run-scorer in ODIs among Pakistan wicketkeepers, accumulating 2,921 runs to date.

Moin Khan leads the list with 3,266 runs, while the Akmal brothers, Kamran and Umar, hold the second and third spots.

In terms of dismissals, Rizwan has 106 in 79 innings, ranking fifth behind Moin Khan (287), Rashid Latif (220), Kamran Akmal (187), and Sarfaraz Ahmed (143).